Trolley-support



(No Modell) E. B. W. RBIGHEL.

TROLLEY SUPPORT.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL BERTI-IOM) VALTER REIOHEL, OF GROSS-LICHTERFELDE, GERMANY, ASSIGHOR TO THE SIEMENS & HALSKE ELECTRIC COMPANY OF AMERICA,

OF CHICAGO, lLLlNOlS.

TROLLEY-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,864, dated March 24, 1896.

Application filed September 3,1895. Serial No. 561,252. (No model.) Patented in Belgium September 29, 1894, 110.111,897; in Hungary October 26, 1894, No. 1,483; in ItalyNovcmber 16,1894,No.87,389;in1?ranoe January 8,1895,No. 241,537,

and in Switzerland January l5, 1895, No. 9,027.

To all whom, t may concern:

13e it known that I, EMIL BERTHOLD WAL- TER REICHEL, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Gross-Lichterfelde,near Berlin, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trolley Supports, of which the following is a specification, and for which Letters Patent have been granted in Belgium, No. 111,897, dated September 29, 1894 g in Italy, No. 37,389, dated November 1C, 189i; in Hungary, No. l,483,dated October 2G, 1891i; in France, No. 241,537, dated January 8, 1895J and in Switzerland, N o. 9,027,dated January 15, 1895.

My invention relates to improvements in trolley-supports for electric-railway cars in which the contact device is pressed by springs slantingly against the trolley-wire, and the object of my invention is to provide a support which shall insure an unbroken contact and uniform pressure between the contact device and the feed-wire in all positions of the trolley-arm.

In Patent No. 536,967, dated April 2, 1895, Ihave shown and described a trolley-support. My present invention is a specific improvement upon the trolley-support shown in that patent and will be clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the support of my invention. Fig., 2 is an end elevation thereof. 3 represents the trolley-support in a depressed condition when the trolley-arm is upright. Fig. ll shows the trolley-support with the trolley-arm inclined as it would be when in actual service,

Like letters of reference are used to indicate similar parts in the different views.

The trolley-arm P is supported upon the shaft W, which shaft is borne upon the levers G G. Levers G G', two of each, are mounted upon the supports S S', the levers G G being free to rock in the bearings D D'. One portion ofthe support S' is adapted to rock in. the bearing 82. The whole support is borne by the frame K, which is rigidly attached to the roof of the car. Powerful symmetrical springs F F, of which one or more may be used, are attached to the end of the trolley- 5o arm H and are opposed in their action so as to tend to bring the trolley-arm to a vertical position. Another powerful sprin g F is attached to the short end L of the lever G and tends to lift the trolley-arm P by raising the iiexible joint to which is attached the shaft lV. The position which the shaft WT assumes is a resultant between the force of the spring' F tending to lift the shaft, the weight of the trolley-arm and the horizontal force of the 6c springs F F, which tend to keep the arms G G in ahorizontal direction. The levers G G' are therefore held approximately in the position shown in Fig. l, and the trolley-arm resting upon the shaft NV in the bearings attached 6 5" to the levers G G' is elastically supported and may be pressed downward by the application of a force directly or obliquely contrary to the direction of pull of the spring F.

It will be understood that although but one 7o lever G and one lever G' are shown in Fig. 1 there are preferably two of these levers and the trolley-arm is supported rigidly, as shown in Fig. 2, so that it can only oscillate in one plane-nainely, that parallel with the motion 7 5 construction results in a quick response of 8o the trolley-arm to any pitching of the car upon which it is mounted, the springs F F co-opery ating with the spring F' in tending to bring the trolleyarn1 P to a vertical position. ln

use the trolley-arm assumes the position shown in Fig. 4. The levers G G are slightly depressed, thus holding the shaft W which sustains the trolley-arm in an elastic support and ready to respond promptly to any release of the pressure which holds the trolley-arm 9o downward and in the oblique position. When the direction of the car is reversed, the trolley-arm assumes a vertical position, and as the downward pressure of the trolley-wire oven comes the resistance of the spring F, assisted 9 5 by the springs F F, the trolley-arm assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, and iinally arrives at the oblique position opposite that shown in Fig. 4. I have shown this construction applied to a contact device consisting of a span of metal mounted upon a frame, but it willbe readily understood that it is equally applicable to a trolley consisting of rotating contact-wheels.

The arrangement vdescribed herein has greater resistance to lateral oscillations than has the one of my prior patent already re ferred to, and hence is more stable. It also provides a greater upward pressure upon the trolley -arm when it is in a vertical or nearly vertical position and is less liable to derangement.

The'precise constructions which I have used to carry out my invention, and which are shown herein, are capable of numerous modiflcations, all within the spirit of my invention. I therefore do not Wish to be limited to the exact details of construction shown; but Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with yieldingly-pressed levers pivoted to stationary supports, of a pivoted trolley-arm mounted upon the ends of said levers, and springs for imparting to said trolley-arm a tendency to occupy a vertical position; substantially as described.

2. In a trolley-support, the combination with a trolley-arm adapted to oscillate only in a plane parallel with the line of travel or' the car of yieldingly-mounted pivot or j ournai for said trolley-arm, and symmetrical opposing springs, attached to said trolley-arm and adapted to exert their greatest leverage thereon When said trolley-arm is in a vertical position; substantially as described.

3. The combination with a trolley-arm or' the levers G G' mounted upon the supports S S', the shaft WV supported iiexibly by said levers, the springs F F attached to the trolley-arm by the levers A A and the spring F adapted to press the shaft XV upwardly; substantially as and for the purposes described.

' In testimony whereof yI affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EMIL BERTHOM) WALTER REICHEL.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. JACKSON, OSCAR BIELEFELD. 

